


Dangerous Territories

by Plodder



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Crash Landing, Day 6 Protection/Mission, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Procedures, Obikin Week 2018, obikin, on Anakin's part at least, pilot anankin, sort of enemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-14 18:06:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plodder/pseuds/Plodder
Summary: Anakin was never chosen to be a Jedi but became a pilot instead, harboring just a little bitterness towards a certain Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Now, he has to fly his least favorite Jedi on a dangerous mission, and things take an early turn for the worse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to picavenger14! This was her idea, I just made it happen.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

 

“That boy is dangerous.”

Dangerous. That was the phrase that echoed through Anakin’s mind, initially on a daily basis as a terrified nine-year-old and now only with reminders. Unfortunately, a horrible reminder was staring him in the face.

Today, on this horrible day, he had to transport the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, the very one who’d uttered those words some fourteen years ago. Days after Kenobi had said that fateful phrase, the Council had decided his fate. Anakin would never be a Jedi, but they would train him as a pilot, and it wasn’t like a penniless, lost slave child had any other choice.

Normally, he would have tried to switch his assignment with one of the other pilots, but his boss had forbade it. It was a tricky mission, to fly through a Separatist blockade and drop off his cargo, one sanctimonious ginger bastard, with his battalion who were in the middle of an active battle. The planet was rocky and mountainous, parts remote and unforgiving. It was a tough job, only for the best, and he was the best.

So today, of all days, Anakin waited just inside of the gangway of his ship. Not only was Kenobi a snobby piece of elitist poodoo, he was also late. Anakin was about to go back in, when he heard voices approaching. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just spy the sleemo in question with another Jedi, Quinlan Vos.

“Obi, you don’t have to do this.” There was actual concern and fondness in Quinlan’s voice. Could he actually like the bastard?

“I must. My men need me. We can’t lose this one, Quin. The Council decreed it.”

“Fuck them. You haven’t recovered from your injuries from the last battle or knowing you, the one before that. This is a bunch of bullshit.”

Anakin continued to listen, half interested. Could Kenobi actually care about anything other than hearing himself speak?

“I’ll rest on the way. There’s nothing that can be done about it,” he said, snobbish voice sounding low and resigned.

“I have a bad feeling about this. Let me go instead,” Vos insisted.

Kenobi laughed. “Quin, I don’t think you and Cody would get on very well. He’d probably have a conniption… I’ll be fine. I’ll see you again once this is over, friend.”

“You better, old man.”

Anakin heard Kenobi walking closer to the ship and headed to the cockpit. Part of him felt a little conflicted. Kenobi probably wasn’t a bad man. He had just said what he thought was right, not thinking about the damage it had done to a young child. Anakin pushed those thoughts aside as a load of crap. He’d just do his job and get it over with.

A few minutes later, Kenobi walked into the cockpit and sat down beside him. “Oh hello, Anakin isn’t it?” he asked, a genuine smile on his face. Damn him.

“Yup, that’s me.” He pretended to fuss with some of the switches, even though everything was in order. He didn’t want Kenobi to be friendly.

“You’ve grown up!” Kenobi said, grimacing and scrubbing at his nicely trimmed beard. “I guess that sounds ridiculous. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen you. I’d hoped to see you around,” he said, a hand lightly resting on Anakin’s shoulder. “It makes me feel old, seeing you now.”

Fuck, he didn’t look that old. He was disarmingly handsome with a grin that could charm a rancor. _Remember, you hate him_ , he thought. Anakin found himself at a loss of what to say.

“Well, yes, um, the coordinates are set, and we have our window for take-off,” Anakin said, trying to sound dismissive.

He continued to study the console in front of him, just pausing to make a quick glance at Kenobi. Anakin would be nothing but briskly professional on this mission; Kenobi didn’t deserve his friendliness.

The smile left Kenobi’s face, and he suddenly looked very tired. Dark shadows ringed his eyes, and he looked pinched and pale. Anakin almost felt guilty about being unkind.

“I suppose I’ll go rest then. Please let me know when we’ve reached the blockade?”

Anakin replied with a non-committal “Sure” and tried to ignore Artoo’s scolding. Thankfully Kenobi left to go do whatever Jedi do in his bunk. Anakin took off and tried not to stew.

Most of the journey was uneventful. Anakin tried to entertain himself with some holovids, and Kenobi was nowhere to be seen. The peacefulness was unfortunately over quickly.

Whoever gave Anakin the hyperspace coordinates should be shot. He was supposed to sneak around the blockade, not be dumped in the middle of it. Maybe they wouldn’t notice his ship? Looking through the rear-view camera, he saw four droid ships on his tail. They’d been noticed.

He flew evasively, as several shots ricocheted off the wings, and the ship bounced erratically. Bleary-eyed and disheveled, Kenobi came running out of the back. “Anakin, what’s going on?”

“A little trouble here. Can you shoot?” There wasn’t any time for pleasantries.

“Of course.” Obi-Wan sat in the gunner’s position and started to take aim.

“I thought you were going to wake me when we got close?” Kenobi asked.

Shut up and shoot, was all Anakin could think. “I was. The coordinates were supposed to drop us outside the blockade, not in it.”

“This is not good,” Kenobi said. Anakin could see that more fighters had joined the others. The shields wouldn’t hold much longer.

This was not how this was supposed to go. This was a damn transport ship, not a star fighter. The shields were so-so, and the weapons were crap. He accelerated as fast as he could, trying to enter the planet’s atmosphere. Maybe he could shake some of them in the mountains.

Or maybe not. A direct blow rocketed through the body of the ship and one hit the wing. The damn thing started to shake and weave, like it was threatening to fall apart. Maybe not threatening. It was going to fall apart. Dense smoke filled the cockpit.

“Strap yourself in!” Anakin shouted through the racket.

Kenobi obeyed, hands suspiciously shaky. “Can you land it?”

“I’m going to try.”

They were crashing, no doubt about it and in the mountains. Anakin spied the flattest place he could find on the horizon and pointed the beleaguered ship at it. Then he strapped himself down. It would be a bumpy landing.

Anakin remembered the scream of metal and a deafening thud. Then little else. When he woke up again, he was still in the crumpled cockpit, metal buckled and shredded around him. At least the smoke wasn’t too thick, but it still made him cough. Artoo whined from behind him.

“I’m coming, buddy.”

Aching, with blood dripping down the side of his face, Anakin unstrapped himself and managed to get out of his chair. His side was less damaged then the other, leaving him reasonably free. He managed to pry Artoo out from a bent girder, then looked to his passenger. Kenobi was unconscious, slumped in the seat, half trapped in a mass of metal and wiring. They needed to get out and quit breathing the thick smoke of the smoldering ruin.

Anakin maybe didn’t like Kenobi, but he sure as hell hoped he wasn’t dead. Getting close, he could see the rise and fall of his breath and the erratic pulse beating in his neck. Anakin cut the straps and tried hefting him out of the chair, but his legs were stuck. Anakin had rudimentary Force training, just so he wouldn’t hurt anyone, but he didn’t see what choice he had other than to use it now.

Focusing his foggy mind, he directed all his strength at pushing the metal outward, and it did, with an ominous groan. Good enough. He was able to wrestle the man out of his seat and drag him out of the damaged hull.

They were on a grassy saddle between mountains, strewn with massive boulders. The air was crisp and cool, quite thin. They’d freeze their asses off tonight. He lay Obi-Wan down in the least rocky grass away from the ship. He was blood soaked and battered, groaning softly.

Kriff and damn. They needed help. Anakin crawled back into the wreckage to see what he could find that’d be useful. He managed to find an undamaged survival kit, a med kit, Obi-Wan’s cloak, and one heated blanket. The blaster strapped to his thigh seemed to still be intact and functional.

The rest was destroyed; he couldn’t even enter the passengers’ quarters. Of course, to make things worse, the comm system was down. At least this was a Jedi ship, and they were expected. He hoped either Kenobi’s comm worked or that someone would eventually come looking.

Fuck, Kenobi. He was still sprawled in the grass, leaking blood. He’d be frozen and in shock soon. Anakin was no medic, but he couldn’t leave this man to die, no matter how much he loathed him.

Anakin took his cloak and a tarp out of the survival pack and laid them on the ground, setting his blaster and the packs on the edge of it. He couldn’t leave Obi-Wan on the cold, damp earth where he’d initially left him. He still lay there, splayed out like a discarded doll. His left leg was obviously deformed.

Anakin noticed that this time his eyes were open, a little glassy yet focused. “Anakin, are you all right?” he murmured, voice soft and halting.

“I’m fine. You’re the mess here. I’m going to have to move you, just a little. You’ll freeze laying in the grass.”

“Sounds lovely. Please do.”

Kenobi smiled a little, his stormy greenish eyes crinkling at the corners. Anakin noticed at this point that he was fucking attractive, distractingly so, even broken and battered. Maybe part of his dislike was the craving for approval that he’d failed to receive? Ugh, he was too tired for philosophical musings, and it wasn’t really his style. Time for action.

He would have to just pick him up and carry him over. It wasn’t too far and at least he wasn’t a Wookie. Anakin squatted down and picked him up, standing and moving as slowly and steadily as he could. Kenobi hissed in pain, obviously trying to hold in his cries. Anakin felt terrible. No one deserved this. He set him down on his cloak as gently as possible, panting a little.

“All right, let’s look you over.”

“I’m disappointed that I don’t even get dinner first,” Kenobi joked, through gasping breaths.

Anakin just shook his head and examined him through his torn robes. He had a spectacular bruise on his left forehead and contusions all along the left side of his torso and was gasping in pain when Anakin touched his ribs and his abdomen. That couldn’t be good. To Anakin’s horror, his left leg was obviously broken in several places, some of the angles not quite right.

He rifled through the med kit, finding one bag of fluids and one bag of synth blood and a fold-out splint. In the box of drugs there were some stims and pain-relieving hyposprays. This would have to do.

“Before I start, does your comm work?” They should probably find out before Kenobi passed out again.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” he asked, looking at Anakin blearily.

Anakin rolled his eyes, squatting down beside him. “Well maybe because you’re horribly injured.”

Kenobi raised a brow thoughtfully. “Hmm.” Was the reply.

Kenobi reached over and fussed with his comm for a moment. “Cody? Cody, do you copy?”

All Anakin could hear was static for a terribly long minute, then, “General, where are you?”

“We’ve crashed in the mountains. I don’t know where. I, I’ve been injured.”

“If you’re admitting it, it’s probably terrible. I’ll send a squad out to try and find you. It may take some time.”

Anakin snickered. He liked this Cody.

“Thank you, Cody. This is unlikely to be very secure, so we should keep this short.”

“Hang in there, General. We’re coming.”

Anakin felt a small wave of relief run through him. Someone would be looking for them. Now, back to his unpleasant task.

“I’m giving you a couple hyposprays then starting an IV line. I’m not asking permission. It looks really bad if a pilot’s cargo dies.”

“Carry on then. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

Anakin gave him a pain shot then a stim, then hooked up the fluids and synth blood after finding a vein in the crook of his arm. Kenobi just watched him quietly, a slightly bemused expression on his face. That is, until Anakin pulled his leg out to length and secured it in a splint. He screamed for that part.

“Well, that was bracing,” Kenobi said once he caught his breath. He was as white as the snow on the nearby mountains, with sweat beading his forehead, his lips grey. Don’t you kriffing die. I want to yell at you later, thought Anakin.

Once he’d done what little he could, Anakin covered him with the survival blanket and went to look around. “Keep watch for a second Artoo,” he called to the droid. Artoo burbled back in agreement.

“You, rest for now,” he said to Kenobi, whose eyes were closed anyway.

Anakin walked towards the edges of the little saddle, looking down the slopes. He tried to see if he could see any civilization, but all he could see were mountains. At least there weren’t any droids. He leaned against a boulder and wrapped his jacket tightly around himself. It was going to be a cold night.

Anakin had the sudden, disarming feeling that something was right behind him, something large. He then heard Artoo scream out a warning. Turning around, he saw a massive, fanged, furry creature looming over him, growling. It had great clawed paws and looked hungry.

Anakin looked around in a panic. He had no weapon. The thing lowered itself and started to charge. Anakin braced himself for the blow but heard a shot which echoed through the surrounding mountains. The thing fell to the ground, dead or dying.

Beyond him, he saw that Kenobi had sit up and grabbed his blaster, arm wrapped around his chest, wincing heavily. He was a damn good shot. After his heart rate came back down, Anakin ran over to him.

“Thank you! You saved me. Are you ok?”

Kenobi laid back down and was gasping in little pants. “I’m sorry I had to do it in such an uncivilized manner. And no, not really.” He closed his eyes, which were lined tight with pain.

Anakin wasn’t sure if he could give him another hypospray in such a short time. Damn, they needed a medic. The sun was starting to set, and a chill wind was picking up. Kenobi at least looked to be settling, and Anakin made sure he was tucked under the heated survival blanket. He wasn’t sure how long the thing’s power would last.

“I hope more of those creatures don’t come,” Anakin remarked. He rifled through the pack again and found some rations and water. He took a long drink, then helped Kenobi to drink.

“Maybe the fallen body of their brethren will scare them away?” Kenobi asked.

Anakin laughed, munching on a ration stick. He kind of liked bantering with this man. “Or they’ll come back for revenge.”

Kenobi laughed softly. “The Force forbid.”

“Rest for a while. I’ll keep watch.”

Kenobi obeyed and fell into a stupor. Anakin sat shivering as the stars came out, dense and bright in the night sky. It would have been beautiful if his teeth weren’t rattling. A few hours after nightfall, he heard Kenobi stir beside him.

“Anakin, you’re frozen.”

“I’m ok,” he said, trying not to chatter.

“Hardly. You’re as ok as I am. Come share the blanket with me. It’s no good if you die.”

It didn’t sound so bad, to be curled up beside him. He wasn’t the demon Anakin had made him out to be, was he? All he knew was that he couldn’t bear the cold any longer. He crawled in beside Kenobi, trying not to jostle him and tucked the blanket around the both of them. It was wonderfully warm underneath.

He did have to admit that it was a little awkward, laying this close to someone who wasn’t a lover. Not yet, a voice in his head whispered. He sighed and lay there, stiff as a board. He could tell Kenobi was awake.

“Don’t want to talk?” Kenobi asked, a lilt in his voice.

“No, not really.”

“Not in general, or not to me?”

Good question. Part of him really did want to talk. “Uh…”

“Anakin, do you dislike me for some reason?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Kenobi snorted. “Not really.”

Anakin took a deep breath. It was time to get it off his chest. “You said I was dangerous. That I shouldn’t be a Jedi.”

“Oh, that. Anakin, when you really thought about it, did you want to be a Jedi? Would it suit you?”

“Probably not, but I’m not dangerous. I was just a little boy. Kriff, does it suit you?”

Obi-Wan laughed weakly, finding Anakin’s hand and squeezing it. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it’s all I knew since infancy. I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Anakin. I was trying to help.”

“Help? You’re going to have to explain.” Obi-Wan’s hand was cool and a little clammy, but Anakin didn’t mind. It felt nice in his own. Damn his treacherous thoughts.

“You were old enough to be set in your ways, to have very different thought patterns than a Jedi youngling. It would have been cruel to throw you in with the crechlings and expect you to adapt, to tear you away from your mother and her love. It would have broken anyone eventually.”

“I guess.” At least as a pilot he was able to visit his mother on his time off. Kenobi’s points were reasonable.

“I was young too, and stupid and probably a little jealous. The way I said it was cruel, but I swear, it wasn’t my intention. Will you forgive me?”

How could he not? Kenobi was handsome, and kind, and saved him from that awful creature. “Yeah.”

Of course he would. On this frigid night in the mountains, under the unforgiving stars, his anger seemed petty. Beside him, he heard a soft moan.

“Are you hurting?” Anakin asked, sitting up a little and shining the light of the safety lantern towards his face. If possible, he looked even more grey, his eyes just hovering open. Anakin could tell he was fighting with all he had to stay conscious.

“Yes, Anakin, but no more pain meds. I’m in a bad way.”

Kenobi was breathing fast, obviously in shock. Anakin picked up his wrist, running his fingers over impossibly soft skin to find the pulse. It was faint and thready. There were no more fluids in the bag, but there was one more stim. It would have to do, for now.

“I’m here with you. I won’t let you go,” Anakin said, injecting the stim.

Kenobi gave him a soft smile, flirting with unconsciousness. Anakin lay back down beside him and took his hand.

“Stay awake for me, ok? Help will be here soon.” That was probably a lie, but there was no point in the truth, not right now.

“Ok, Anakin,” he said softly, clearly humoring him.

Anakin did what he could, squeezing his cold hand, rubbing his arms, telling him stories of his mother and the folklore of Tatooine, private things he’d never told another person. Kenobi had murmured little sounds of interest without the effort of making words, his glassy eyes kind.

Maybe it was the circumstances, maybe he’d gone soft, but Anakin forgave him, and in those twilight hours, Anakin felt a warm feeling stir within him, waking up parts of him he’d forgotten. He laughed at himself, just a little. He’d gone from hate to love in the span of a day, but that was life for you, short and unpredictable.

Dawn came, tepid and pale. The weak sun did little to warm the hillside. Obi-Wan lay terribly still, his face now slack. Anakin could barely feel the pulse in his wrist, the one in his neck a hair stronger. His skin was so cold.

Anakin screamed for help into the void, screamed to anything that could hear them. This wasn’t fair or right. He thought of Kenobi’s friend Quinlan and his worry. This couldn’t happen.

He knew that Jedi healed with the Force but had no idea how. Maybe, just maybe he could give Kenobi some of his strength, just so he could hold on a little longer. Anakin lay beside him, taking one of his hands and laying the other over Kenobi’s heart. He concentrated his mind, imagining his strength inside of him like the heart of a flame.

Focusing, he imagined passing some of that flame into Kenobi, giving him another spark of life. Energy flowed through him and he began to feel dizzy, impossibly tired. His eyes grew heavy and everything went dark.

Time passed, only the Force knew how long. When Anakin awoke again, he was on a hard cot in a med bay somewhere, a clone medic seated beside him. He looked around him but didn’t see the one he hoped to.

“Where’s Obi-Wan? Is he ok?” he nearly shouted, his voice hoarse and throat parched.

“He’s in bacta. He’ll be fine, thanks to you,” the medic replied, handing him a glass of water.

“Where are we?”

“Kaliida Shoals. It was the closest med center. The General needed immediate attention.”

“Can I see him?”

The tattooed medic grinned at him, shaking his head. “I thought you’d say that. He’s easy to get attached to, that one. We had to pry you off of him.”

Anakin blushed furiously. “I was just trying to help.”

“Yeah, and we’re grateful for it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” he said, winking.

The medic helped Anakin up and lead him to another room. Kenobi floated peacefully in bacta, in calm unconsciousness. He looked strong yet impossibly fragile, a creature of fascinating contradictions. Anakin wanted nothing more than to explore them. _I have a lot to talk to you about when you wake up_ , he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> If you'd like, let me know what you think!
> 
> I'm tired and work's a mess, so I apologize for any errors.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I decided to add another chapter to this little fic, and I hope that it works!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Many thanks to picavenger14, this was her idea, and I just supplied words
> 
> Thanks to everyone who commented or left kudos!!

Frustrated and yearning, Anakin knew he would have to leave the med center soon. He couldn’t stop thinking about Obi-Wan. Being the persistent person he was, he’d found out that Obi-Wan was coming out of bacta today. Anakin was determined to see him before he left. Lurking in the halls, he managed to find the clone medic he’d talked to before.

The tatooed man caught his eye and raised a brow. “Still here?”

“Yeah,” Anakin said, pulling him aside. “Do you know where Obi-Wan, um, I mean General Kenobi is?”

“You’re at that again, hmm?” he said, laughing. “Well, you seem like the good sort. I’ll take you to him, but you can only have a minute.”

Anakin would take a second, if it meant seeing Obi-Wan again. He felt like a ship caught in a tractor beam. “Ok, I’ll behave.”

“Of course you will.”

The medic led him into a small room, where Obi-Wan lay on a stretcher, connected to all sorts of wires and monitors. The medic still stood behind him, protective. Obi-Wan’s eyes were closed, and he looked grey and still.

Anakin reached down and touched his hand, shivering with the intensity of his tiny gesture. Obi-Wan’s eyes opened, glassy and unfocused.

“Where…” he asked in a hoarse voice, barely audible.

“Kaliida Shoals. You’re safe,” Anakin said. He couldn’t help but brush an errant lock of hair from Obi-Wan’s forehead.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes again but smiled hesitantly. “Anakin,” was all he said. It was like a blessing.

Anakin felt immense tenderness swell within him, something he’d never felt before. “Yes, it’s me. You’re safe now. Just rest.”

His minute had past, and the medic pulled him away. Anakin left for Coruscant, the sweet sound of Obi-Wan saying his name echoing in his mind.

* * *

“Hey Obi, your pilot is here,” Quinlan Vos shouted from the doorway.

Anakin stood in abject mortification, cheeks flaming. To say he was nervous was an understatement. After his brief visit with Obi-Wan on Kaliida Shoals, Anakin had been called away to an assignment which he’d rushed through, distracted and anxious. This was his chance to see Obi-Wan again.

How was he supposed to tell Obi-Wan what he felt? That his first impressions had been wrong, or at least misunderstood, that Anakin now felt drawn to him like something magnetized. He wanted nothing more than to learn everything he could about this man, to spend as much time as he could in his presence, to win his approval and regard.

Anakin had made his way purposefully over to the Halls, and no one had stopped him. The Halls were chaotic and teeming with the injured, so no one paid him any mind, that is until he’d nearly stumbled into Quinlan Vos as he was leaving Obi-Wan’s room.

“I wasn’t aware I had a pilot?” came the soft reply from inside the room.

Vos winked at him. “Yeah, you do. Tall, pretty, very eager. Lips like…”

Anakin heard the sound of muffled profanities from the other room. They were thankfully directed at Vos.

“Ah, Anakin!”

“Should I send him in? If you don’t want him I’m sure…”

More profanities, some Anakin had never heard before. Vos just laughed and waved him in, then sauntered away, whistling a spacers’ tune to himself.

Nearly trembling, Anakin walked into the room and stood awkwardly by the bed. The ability to make words left him. He’d been waiting for this for days now.

Though Obi-Wan looked far better than he had the last time Anakin has seen him, he still looked kind of terrible. He was pale, face drawn and shadowed, yet there was a spark of his usual self in his clear grey eyes and his hair and beard were tidy. For some reason that was reassuring.

“Please sit down, Anakin. It’s so good to see you,” Obi-Wan said, eyes kind and crinkly at the corners.

Anakin wanted to melt and obeyed without question. He studied Obi-Wan’s bruised hands laying on his lap and wanted so badly to hold one again like he had that night. He guessed that it would be warmer, and soft yet calloused in places and…

“Are you all right, Anakin?” Obi-Wan was studying him intently, faint freckles visible secondary to his pallor. How had Anakin hated this man? Now he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen anything so right.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. How are you?”

“Recovering, thanks to you. I’ll need another surgery on my leg, but that’s a minor setback.”

Obi-Wan reached over and lightly touched Anakin’s hand. A shiver ran through his body like electricity. This was meant to be. “I mean it Anakin, Thank you. You saved my life. I heard what you did, how you healed me.” He took a deep breath, brows drawn together. “You could have died.”

Anakin studied his lap, blushing. “I crashed the ship. I got you hurt. It’s the least I could do.”

“Anakin, any other pilot would have never even been able to land. We would have been vaporized into space dust. What you did was amazing,” Obi-Wan said, coughing a little.

Anakin spied some water on the side table and poured him a glass, thankful for a moment’s distraction. Why couldn’t he think of the right thing to say? He was mesmerized by the sound of Obi-Wan’s voice, how he said his name almost like a caress. Anakin’s mind went blank.

“I can’t believe I used to hate you.” Oops, did he say that out loud?

Obi-Wan just threw back his head a little, laughing. “Oh, Anakin. I can be a right bastard at times. Even more so when I was younger.”

He took Anakin’s hand this time, squeezing it gently. Anakin though he might die of happiness. It was just as he imagined.

“But between you and me, I’m glad you don’t hate me anymore. Even though I was dying, and we were freezing to death on a mountainside, I do have to admit that I enjoyed our conversations. It is wonderful to see you again.”

Obi-Wan didn’t let go of his hand. Anakin was overjoyed. He’d wanted to say so many things but couldn’t think of them right now. “When will you be back on duty?”

“A few weeks, perhaps, and then I’ll be sent back out into the field.”

That was it? Nearly die and have a handful of weeks off? Part of Anakin hated how the Jedi callously used their knights. He also doubted they were too keen on dating but decided not to care. Why was it that when his heart decided to fall in love, that it was with someone so unattainable? At least Anakin was stubborn.

Anakin took a deep breath. He needed to see Obi-Wan again and not just as his pilot. Something in him couldn’t bear to lose him. “Do you think, um… Do you think I could see you again? Before you leave again?”

Obi-Wan paused for a moment, then gave him a soft smile. “I would like that.”

They were then rudely interrupted by a Twi’lek healer who eyes were shooting daggers.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re tiring him out. Time to go. It was hard enough to extract Vos,” she said, gesturing at Anakin to leave.

“Damn you Kenobi, and all your admirers. They’re sabotaging my work.”

Obi-Wan smirked and raised a brow. “Don’t be jealous, Vokara. It takes talent to be this charming.”

Her face was framed in a furious frown, but her eyes were smiling. “That’s enough from you. Now shoo,” she said, looking pointedly at Anakin.

Anakin couldn’t be disappointed, though. Obi-Wan had said yes and it had seemed genuine.

In the days that followed, Anakin was on a mission. A very important mission. A mission to learn everything he could about one Obi-Wan Kenobi. He began with his fellow pilots. First of all, he learned that he was technically Master Kenobi and that he had a Padawan, a human teenager named Arri. Anakin realized that he had no idea how to reach Obi-Wan or where to find him and nothing about what he liked.

Anakin thought he’d start with the Padawan. He was allowed in parts of the Temple, so the library was a good place to start. He began lingering there when he was off duty, and eventually found and cornered the Padawan.

The kid looked harmless, but Anakin knew that was a lie. He was about 15 with a curly mop of brown hair and huge brown eyes, taller than Anakin but as wide around as a pipe cleaner. Something about him reminded Anakin of a baby nerf.

Anakin needed to be fearless. He pulled the kid aside. “You’re, um, Master Kenobi’s apprentice?”

The boy looked at him earnestly. “Yes, I am. Can I help you with something? My Master is not available right now, I’m afraid.”

“I know. I, I’m his friend.”

“Oh?” the boy asked, not looking overly skeptical. Anakin wondered if Obi-Wan had many ‘friends’.

“Yeah, my name’s Anakin. I’m a pilot.”

The boy’s face brightened, and he startled Anakin with a bony but strong hug.

“You’re the one that saved my Master!”

Passing Jedi were staring at them and shaking their heads. “Yeah, I am. Let’s go somewhere else.”

They left the library and walked to the commissary, getting drinks. “I should have been there with him. I could have lost him,” the boy said, shaking his head. “Thank you.”

You came pretty close, thought Anakin. “Uh, you’re welcome.”

“What can I help you with?”

Well, this would be a lot more awkward than Anakin had hoped. “I’d like to visit with your Master. Is he back from the halls?”

“He is! Just got back the other day. You should come by our quarters.”

“Yeah, I’d like to know him better,” which was an epic understatement.

“Like as friends?”

“Something like that.”

“As lovers?” the kid asked.

Anakin choked on his muja juice, gasping for air. The kid patted his back. “My Master thinks I don’t know about these things, but I do. He needs some distraction,” he said, matter of factly.

Arri ruffled a hand through his curls, making them stand on end. “I think you’d be good for my Master. He’s seemed down lately, before the crash I mean. He won’t tell me why. I think the Council wants too much from him.”

“Seems like it. When could I see him?”

“How about in a couple of days? He’ll be more rested by then.”

“What does he like?”

“Tea, sweets, spicy noodles, nice soap. Animals-he’s really good at charming them. For things to be tidy. Brandy. ‘Saber dueling, but he’ll deny it. Sleeping in, though he never gets to.”

“Is he a good Master?”

“The best. I’m lucky,” the boy said, shrugging.

Anakin felt something like regret blow through him, not really sure where it came from. The more he thought on it, he realized that he didn’t want to be a Jedi, but it was almost like some part of him remembered it from another life. It was a strange nostalgia.

“I’m off in about three days,” Anakin said. “I’ll come by in the afternoon?”

“Sounds good. I hope you make him happy!”

So do I, thought Anakin. Anakin doubted this was all acceptable. “What about your Code and all that?”

The boy shrugged. “I’m not worried about it.” He smiled and walked away, a skip in his step.

The next person he tracked down was Quinlan Vos, at a spacer’s bar in the mid-levels. Anakin sat down beside him at one of the back tables.

“Can we talk for a minute?

Vos raised a brow. “Sure, sweet thing. Something you had in mind?”

“Uh no. About Obi-Wan.”

Vos laughed. “I’ll give you one thing, pretty pilot, you’re persistent. He likes you.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he does. He talked about you nonstop once he was awake. You made quite the impression. He’s not usually like that.”

“What’s he usually like then?”

“Private. Hard to read. I know him, really well. He’s not usually like this. You need to go for it. Take your chance now.”

“What does he like? What is he like? I want to make him happy.”

Quinlan studied him thoughtfully. “Well, he has a terrible sweet tooth, for one. He’s self-sacrificing. Clever about some things and incredibly stupid about others.” Vos’s expression softened.

“And seems harmless but is kind of ruthless. Ok, really ruthless,” Vos took a swig of his drink, his face fond.

“And he’s a stroppy little minx who likes to take charge during sex, except for when he doesn’t. Those are the good times.” Vos rubbed his chin and laughed. “Who am I kidding, they’re all good times with him.”

Anakin blushed furiously. “You were…”

“Yeah, we fucked. But don’t worry your pretty, little face. It was a long time ago. We’re good friends.”

“I see…”

Vos stood up and gathered his cloak. “Better get at it, little one,” Vos said, sending him off with a jaunty salute.

Anakin didn’t have much to spend his stipend on, so he had a fair amount saved up. He bought some fancy soap that smelled like berries, a big box of Alderaanian pastries and confections, and a bottle of fine Corellian Brandy, and he was ready.

The day finally came, and he was at Obi-Wan’s quarters with his packages in hand. The Padawan let him in, grinning broadly. Obi-Wan sat on a small couch with his injured leg propped up. He still looked wan to Anakin, thinner than he should be and pale. If the Council meant to send him out into battle like this, Anakin would consider murdering them all and stealing Obi-Wan, taking him far away. His smile was brilliant though.

“Anakin, what a surprise! I’m so glad you came!” He gave a glance to his beaming Padawan.

“Did you have anything to do with this, little one?”

“Of course not!” the boy said, looking deceptively innocent.

“Lies don’t become you, Arri,” Obi-Wan replied, grinning.

His gaze drifted back towards Anakin. “Anakin, sit. Would you like anything? What do you have there?” He asked, looking at the packages.

“Um, some stuff I thought you’d like. Can I take you to dinner?”

Obi-Wan looked a little startled. “Well, I…”

“Of course he’ll go!” Arri said, nearly bouncing up and down. “I’ll be out, Master. Enjoy yourself” he said, scurrying out the door.

“I’d love to go to dinner with you, Anakin. I’m quite free, but I’m still moving rather slowly. I at least can bear weight on it now” he said, pointing at his leg.

“I’m in no rush,” Anakin replied. They could spend years together and he wouldn’t be bored.

“You should open those. I wasn’t quite sure what you liked,” Anakin said, lying.

Obi-Wan opened his gifts, eyes growing wider with each one, his pale face becoming flushed under his adorable beard. Grinning like a child, he was nearly batting his eyes at the sweets. He took one tiny pastry out at ate it, getting chocolate all over his lips. As he licked it off, Anakin thought he might die.

“Anakin, you shouldn’t have done this. Why are you being so nice to me?”

Anakin felt his face grow warmer. “Because you deserve it. Because I can’t stop thinking about you. Because…”

Anakin couldn’t go on because Obi-Wan had walked over and pulled him up to standing, putting his hands on Anakin’s shoulders. He studied Anakin’s face with his clever green-grey eyes.

“You’re very young,” Obi-Wan said, toying with Anakin’s hair. “And very sweet. I’m not so sweet. Not all the time, at least,” Obi-Wan murmured, voice soft and low.

“I think you’re very nice,” Anakin replied, heart fluttering, trembling with excitement.

Obi-Wan lost his footing a little and leaned against him. He felt so warm and the linen of his robes was soft, smelling faintly of tea. “This is nice,” Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin couldn’t do anything but kiss him, and Obi-Wan didn’t resist. It was the right thing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I may add more to this if I feel up to it :D
> 
> If you'd like, let me know what you think!!
> 
> darthplodder on Tumblr


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